In The News
Anthony Commisso
Title: President, Tuxego
Age: 45
Passion outside work: Helping others. This is the busiest time of the year for Anthony Commisso, owner of Tuxego, a formal-wear rental store in Latham. After all, it's prom and wedding season, and Commisso almost never has free time. He says his days are long and the work is nonstop.
But if you want to know the other side of Commisso, it's really about giving the little time that he does have to others. And he's done it his whole career.
A devout Catholic who is a parishioner of St. John The Evangelist church in Schenectady, Commisso joined the Knights of Columbus in 1989, two years after graduating from Siena College.
Commisso is well known for being a founding member and emcee for the Columbus Parade and Italian Festival of the City of Albany, which was started in 1992.
But his charitable work has been most deeply impacted by a near tragedy that happened when his wife gave birth to triplets in 2002. His infant son, Tony, had to be placed on life support and spent six months in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center.
Tony is doing fine now, but those were difficult times for the Commisso family. Commisso and Tuxego have donated countless hours and dollars to Children's Hospital, and Commisso and his family appeared several times on the Children's Miracle Network Telethon to appeal for people to donate. Every year, Commisso goes back to the NICU at Albany Med to update a photo of his children in a collage that hangs on the wall that also shows when the three were born. Commisso says it's meant as a sign of hope for parents who sit by their children in the hospital, waiting for them to get better. The Commissos now have four healthy children.
"What I wanted to do is show other parents that life existed. I decided I wanted to let people know that people do survive this," Commisso said.
Commisso's parents, Italian immigrants, ran Cosimo's Restaurant on Western Avenue while he was growing up. But after graduating from Siena with a history degree, Commisso started working in the formal-wear business for John Mearon, whom he calls a dear friend and mentor.
"He just gave me the opportunity," Commisso said. "He's helped many people. He's mentored many people."
Commisso is also giving back to the business community, and after more than a year of preparation launched the Society of Wedding and Event Planning Professionals of New York in April.
Quote: "I always pay tribute to every doctor and every nurse that took care of (my son Tony). They saved his life."
-- Larry Rulison
Link the the article here.
Read the PDF here.
By Jennifer Dugan
Latham Life
LATHAM — It’s that time of the year again when everyone seems to have formal wear on their mind. Between prom season and spring weddings, it is easy to get caught up in all of the excitement. With so many styles to choose from, making a decision can often times prove overwhelming.
From guiding you to your perfect tuxedo, to accessorizing and personalizing the look, Latham based formal wear shop Tuxego is ready to assist with all of your formal wear needs.
The independent formal wear shop, located at 952 Troy Schenectady Road in Latham, was first established in 1986 and quickly grew to become a prom and wedding staple for people in the Capital District. The popular store offers a wide variety of tuxedos and accessories which allows their clients to truly create a look that is both classy and unique.
Owner Anthony Commisso has been a long time fixture in his store. “The original owner and I had befriended one another and he had trained me in the business. I decided when the opportunity arose that I would become an owner of the shop,” Commisso said. “I’ve been in the formal wear business for over 20 years. Since I’m independent and owner operated, I am more personally involved in the service of the business.”
Commisso prides himself on always taking the time to personally meet those that choose his shop for their wedding needs. “I meet with brides and grooms by appointment only, so I am very focused on the service to them. I help them paint their wedding picture,” Commisso said. “It’s very different from any other store. Most men’s stores have a catalog in the corner and they just leave you on your own.”
While Tuxego is always happy to accommodate late planners, the shop does recommend that the bride and groom visit early in the planning process. “You can never come too early and we can always help you late,” Commisso said. “But I prefer that couples getting married in spring, early summer, and fall, come now. Four to six months (in advance) is ideal,” he said.
Commisso recommends getting weddings on file early so that members of the wedding party can avoid Tuxego’s busy prom season. “During prom season we are very popular. It is just packed in the place and everyone will have to wait longer unnecessarily,” he said. “If you come early and get your wedding on file, then your groomsmen can begin to come at any time and avoid the end of April until the beginning of June.”
While no special appointment is required for those selecting formal wear for prom, Commisso says it pays for students to come early as well. “In order to receive our promotional prices, they themselves need to come in a minimum of fourteen days ahead of time. We will always try to accommodate them as late as possible though,” he said.
Tuxego also offers an additional discount to students who shop early that are willing to help spread the word. “If a student comes in or prints the discount coupons off of our website and puts their name on it to hand out, then they get money off the cost of the tuxedo for everyone that comes in with their coupon,” Commisso said. “Schools can also use this to raise money.”
Commisso says that lately he is seeing a trend in formal wear towards a more classic look, although the long tie look is still popular with students. “The bow tie is returning. Most students still prefer to go with the long tie look though, as they have been over the last eight years. You can match a color better using a long tie,” Commisso said. “Calvin Klein has become one of the hottest names in formal wear today; one of the hottest looks right now is the Calvin Klein satin trim shawl lapel, which is exclusive to our shop.”
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